


Accidents

by strauberry23



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, Confusion, F/M, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, Identity Reveal, Marichat, Pregnancy, im so excited guys, it will all happen in due time, press
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 07:48:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6795415
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strauberry23/pseuds/strauberry23
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It had all started with an accident, and continued to grow because of accidents. They were never meant to come together in this way. Granted, it was never supposed to be easy, but they could have avoided a lot of confusion and heartbreak if Chat had never broken her flower pot, or if she never had invited him inside.<br/>It lead to something that never should have happened, something that went against fate and the order of the world, and ended up creating an entirely different accident.<br/>But it happened anyway, and now Chat and Mari have to deal with the aftermath.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Accidents

**Author's Note:**

> ok so this au is based on a tumblr post (http://agreste-dupain-cheng.tumblr.com/post/143872008259/dude-au-where-chat-and-marinette-are-friends) where someone sent me an ask about a marichat friends with benefits au and i got inspired. plus i reached over 6k followers so i started it as a celebration of sorts :)

_It all started with an accident. It lead to something that never should have happened, something that went against fate and the order of the world._

_Chat Noir was meant to be with Ladybug. Everyone knew this. They represented good and bad luck, yin and yang, light and dark, every possible combination of opposites that belong together. You can’t have one without the other. You can’t have a ladybug without her cat._

_So when Chat ended up on Marinette’s balcony 3 years after they first met, knocking over a potted plant as he was making his way through on patrol, they didn’t think anything of it. He helped clean it up, apologizing profusely while Marinette brushed him off, only a little angry at having her flowers destroyed._

_After all, it was only an accident._

_It was everything that followed that threw the world out of balance._

~~~

“You brought me flowers?”

Chat’s grip tightened around the small pot containing pale pink flowers. He was holding them out in front of him, his smile turning awkward when Marinette didn’t take the offering. 

“Well yeah,” he said, his arms lowering slightly, “I broke your other one so I thought that replacing it was the least I could do. I’m still very sorry.”

Marinette started him, utterly bewildered. “Do you normally replace everything you break on patrol?”

“Well I don’t normally break things while on the rooftops,” he said, lifting his chin proudly, “I have too much grace for that.”

“Yet here you are,” she shot back amusedly.

“Yet here I am,” he laughed nervously, his bravado gone for the moment. “But yeah, I try to replace everything I break. It’s my fault, so I should fix it.”

“That’s a good philosophy,” Marinette said, pleasantly surprised. “You hand deliver them to the people too?”

“Actually no, usually I just leave it on a window sill or something.”

Now she was confused again. Everything about this situation wasn’t making sense. “But you’re giving this to me in person.”

“Well you happened to be home, and I know you, so…” he trailed off when her expression didn’t change. He cleared his throat, setting the plant down on the ground. “I’ll just leave this here and go-“

“Wait!” she said, one hand reaching toward him. She had no idea why she stopped him, but seeing him slink away after doing something so generous… it seemed wrong. And no matter how she felt about the situation, she couldn’t let him just leave like that. 

“Would you like to come inside?” she asked, bending down to pick up the plant and smiling at him. “I think I have some cookies left over, if you want some.”

Marinette knew that she made the right decision when she saw Chat’s face light up, tail swishing from side to side as he nodded vigorously. 

“That would be great! If you wouldn’t mind, I mean.”

~~~

_It became a regular occurrence, them hanging out. Chat would visit under the cover of darkness whenever he had the opportunity (which was surprisingly often). Sometimes they would play games, other times they would sit in companionable silence, each doing their own thing._

_It was a night like that which started everything._

~~~

Marinette ran her fingers through her loose hair, leaning back in her desk chair with a sigh. She had been working on homework for the past hour, and now the words were starting to swirl off of the page.

She rubbed her eyes, her hand flopping into her lap afterward. She lazily rolled her head to look over at her chaise, where Chat was laying down on his stomach reading one of her books.

“Hey Chat?” she asked, picking up a pen so she could fiddle with it.

He looked up with a hum, his tail flicking in the air slightly.

“Tell me a secret.”

Chat’s eyes grew wide in surprise and his tail stopped moving. He shut the book and sat up, his feet now on the floor as he leaned forward on his elbows. “What kind of secret?”

Marinette shrugged, suddenly embarrassed by her question. “I don’t know, anything.”

Chat eyed her warily. “I thought you didn’t want to know who I am.”

“And I don’t,” she said quickly, setting the pen down and spinning to fully face him. “It doesn’t have to be personal or anything, it can be something totally random.”

Chat tilted his head to the side as he observed her, and she could just see his tail moving lazily behind him. Marinette wanted to shrink down under his stare, but refused to do so.

After a long moment of silence she shook her head, starting to turn back to her homework. 

“Forget it, this is stupid-“

“I love when your hair is down,” he said matter-of-factly.

Marinette froze, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. She slowly turned back toward him to find he was still staring at her with that intense expression.

“What?” she asked hesitantly. 

“I love your hair down,” he said with a shrug, leaning back onto his hands. “It’s not much of a secret, but I don’t think I’ve told you before, so there you go.”

Marinette looked down at her hands in her lap, her fingers entwined together and knuckles white. She took a deep breath to compose herself, then looked back up at him with a smile. 

“Thank you,” she said.

Chat’s smile was as soft as her tone.

“Anytime.”

~~~

_It was stuff like that which made Marinette question herself. Not about everything, after all, her heart would always belong to Adrien. But she couldn’t ignore the fact that she would blush sometimes when Chat caught her off guard, when his comments suddenly turned heartfelt and sincere._

_But then he would go and do something completely ridiculous and Marinette would push those thoughts out of her head, dismissing them like they were nothing._

_She would still blush, though. She didn’t know what that meant._

~~~

Marinette crossed her arms and cocked her hip, staring up at the cat boy on her loft unamusedly. 

“What in the world are you doing?” she said in a deadpanned voice. 

Chat readjusted the blanket around his head so that it fell nicely over his shoulders and down to the floor. “I am the night! No one will see me!”

With a flick of his makeshift cape, he jumped down onto the main level and started to run around the room, making ridiculous poses and hiding in plain sight whenever the mood struck him. 

Marinette’s eyes followed him lazily, one eyebrow raised. “Are you sure? Because I can see you just fine.”

Next thing she knew Chat was in front of her, his nose stopping just inches from hers while the blanket billowed around them, a devilish smile on his face. “That’s because you’re the only one I want to see me.”

He kissed her nose, then continued to run around the room. 

Marinette rolled her eyes before walking over to her desk, sitting down and holding up her history textbook in front of her face. 

And no, she did not do that to hide a blush, as she would tell Chat later when he asked. It was easier to see the words that way. 

Chat was not convinced in the slightest. 

~~~

_And sometimes she would be ridiculous too. Because he brought out that side of her without even trying, just by being himself. It was a side she had almost forgotten she had, but was glad to have found again._

~~~

Chat backed away slowly, hands held in front of him for protection, his expression pleading as his princess advanced. She took slow, careful steps toward him, her smirk growing when Chat’s back hit the railing of her balcony.

“Don’t you dare throw that snowba-, _goddammit!”_

Marinette laughed as he brushed the snow off his chest with a sour expression. 

“C’mon kitty, it’s not that bad!” she said, reaching down to pack more snow between her palms. 

“Easy for you to say!” he said. “You always look perfect. I, however need to take care of my image. And now, because of you, my hair is ruined.”

“So you _are_ aware that your hair looks like that!” she said before she threw another snowball, this time hitting the hand he threw up to stop it, causing the snow to go everywhere. “I didn’t know it was a conscious decision.”

“Ha ha,” he deadpanned, shaking his hair to get the snow debris out, making it even more messy. 

Marinette giggled from behind her pink glove at the sight. “You know you love it.”

“I know I love _you,”_ he shot back without hesitation, “which is why I’m putting up with this abuse.”

“Aw, poor kitty,” she said with a mock pout. “What can I do to make it better?”

“A kiss from the princess would be nice,” he suggested, moving a little closer to her. 

“Come here then,” she said, smiling as innocently as possible as he approached. 

As soon as he got close, however, he got a face full of snow, causing him to sputter in shock. 

“Hey!” he protested, backing away and shaking off the coldness. 

Marinette didn’t know the last time she laughed so hard.

~~~

_That was the first time Chat said “I love you.” It was an accident, just like everything else, blurted out in the heat of the moment. Sure, they flirt a little, but it was all in good fun, they told themselves. Without consulting each other they both decided to ignore the statement and move on with their lives like it had never happened._

_But it had. And it never truly left their minds._

~~~

Marinette watched helplessly as Chat collapsed onto the ground, tears streaming down down his face as a sob tore through his throat. His feet folded under him, a single hand responsible for propping him upright, as the other was held in front of his mouth. The shoulders which were once held back with pride now shuddered with raw emotion, his claws digging into ground and cheek alike, drawing up stone shards and blood.

Marinette knelt down in front of her kitty, hesitantly reaching out a hand to rest on top of his on the ground. She could feel the muscles under her fingers shaking and straining against the stone, already having made a mark of considerable size. She tightened her grip, a few tears of her own leaking from her eyes without permission.

“Chat…” she said softly, and immediately she felt his hand relax in hers, his posture crumbling further into himself as he cried harder.

Marinette reached forward and wrapped herself around him, his nose finding its home in her neck, never once letting go of his hand. She twisted their palms and brought them between the chests so she could feel his heart beat and he could feel hers, threading their fingers together in a show of solidarity. She could feel his hot tears against her skin, and her own soon trailed down her neck to mix with his until she couldn’t tell who their original owner was. 

“Hey, I’m with you, okay?” she said into his hair, another sob thundering through his chest and shooting straight into her heart. She trailed a hand over the expanse of his back in slow circles, squeezing the other which held his own. Turning to place a single kiss on the top of his head, she mumbled into his hair, pouring all of her heart into a single word.

“Always.”

~~~

_And she meant it._

_They had shared memories, secrets, even ones that should never have seen the light of day. Regrets, wishes, aspirations. Everything._

_They were in this together now. And they were both grateful to find someone who would never leave them._

_This only confused Marinette more._

~~

Marinette abruptly opened her eyes and stepped away from him, covering her mouth in shock at what she had done. 

“I swear it was an accident,” she said, taking her hand away from her lips to press against her chest along with the other. “I’m sorry, we can forget this ever happened-“

She was cut off by Chat leaning forward and capturing her lips once again. Marinette couldn’t help but sigh and lean into it. He pulled away after a few moments, both of them short on breath.

“If that was an accident,” Chat said, “then I can’t wait to see what you do on purpose.”

~~~

_That never should have happened._

_According to the rest of the world, Chat wasn’t meant to fall in love with ‘just Marinette.’ He was supposed to be with Ladybug. But they had been defying fate for months now, so it all seemed like a moot point._

_It seemed fitting that an accident pushed them into something that wasn’t meant to be._

~~~

“I’m not saying you’re _horrible,”_ Marinette said, raising her hands in a placating gesture. “I’m just saying that I could beat you to a pulp, that’s all.”

“Oh really, _that’s all?”_ Chat crossed his arms and scoffed, pushing himself off the balcony railing to stand up straight. “Wanna bet?”

“Is that a challenge?” she asked with a dangerous smile, walking up to him so they were toe to toe. 

Chat grinned a smile of his own, his (perfect) teeth glinting in the city lights as he leaned down a little towards her. “Absolutely.”

Marinette tilted her head up slightly, their noses brushing. “Bring it on, kitty cat.”

They walked down to her room and barely a couple of minutes passed before the computer screen flashed _“Winner!”,_ the ladybug bot posing behind it.

“Yes!” Marinette yelled, holding her arms up in victory.

Chat slumped forward in his chair. “That’s like the fifth time today!”

“Sixth,” Marinette corrected with a boastful smile, leaning over to poke his nose with a single finger. 

Chat crossed his arms and pouted dramatically, causing Marinette to throw her head back with a laugh. 

“What’s the matter kitty,” she said in mock sympathy, “upset you’re getting schooled by a girl?”

“It’s not the girl thing that I’m upset about,” Chat said, still pouting. “It’s the fact that I don’t even come close to winning.”

Marinette awed at him with a pout of her own. 

“But I know a way that I can win,” he said, his pout turning into a devilish smile.

He reached over and plucked her controller from her fingers, immediately dancing away from her with a laugh.

“Chat, give it back!” Marinette said in a scandalized tone. 

“Come over here and make me,” he said teasingly, poking out his tongue in her direction. “You can’t win without a controller.” 

Marinette groaned, but got up quickly and ran after him in the hope of catching him off guard. 

But Chat simply laughed as he spun out of her reach. 

This went on for a couple of minutes, both of them laughing as Marinette tried to catch the slippery cat between her fingers, coming dangerously close quite a few times. (She wasn’t a superhero for nothing, after all.) Eventually she cornered him near her desk, using her body to block any escape routes. Chat lifted the controller high above his head in retaliation, knowing that Marinette wouldn’t be able to reach it. 

“Give me my controller back!” Marinette said, jumping up in a vain attempt to grab it from him.

Chat laughed at her good naturedly. “You can have it if you can reach it.”

Marinette growled in frustration at him, which only made him laugh harder. He was laughing so hard that he conveniently didn’t notice the slow smile that formed across her lips. 

But he definitely noticed what came next. 

The smaller girl placed both hands on his cheeks, pulling him down to press his lips against hers, standing on her tiptoes to meet him halfway.

Chat made a surprised sort of noise in the back of throat, eyes wide as he stared down at his princess’s adorable scrunched up face. Eventually his eyelids lowered in response, as well did his arms, but the latter was involuntary.

Just as he was getting into the kiss Marinette pulled away from him, and it took Chat a few moments to realize she was clutching her controller between her hands.

“Yes!” she shouted in victory. “I win again.”

Chat quickly got over his shook and stepped toward her with a smirk, closing the space she had put between them so that she had to look up to see his face.

“I think we both won, princess.” 

~~~

_Sometimes the timing of his visits were less convenient, but welcome all the same._

~~~

Marinette groaned out loud from her place at her desk when she heard a familiar pair of feet land on her balcony. It was finals week and she had been so busy with her other duties that she had to cram in order to prepare for it, and a certain cat was not going to help matters. 

“Hey Princess,” Chat Noir said, and Marinette could hear him climbing through the hatch.

“Chat, I’m doing homework,” she said firmly, hinting that he should leave her alone.

But of course, that would never happen.

Chat poked his head down off of her loft to look at her upside down, causing his already unruly hair to look even more so as it stood on end.

“What a coincidence, so was I!” he said, before flipping off of the loft and landing lithely on his feet. 

“So why are you here?” Marinette asked, refusing to turn away from her work and look in his direction. It would only encourage him. 

“Because I needed a break, and so do you,” he said. He walked closer to her and leaned against her desk, looking over her shoulder at her work. “I could help you with that if you want.”

Marinette scoffed. “No you couldn’t.”

“You don’t think I can?” Chat said in a scandalous tone, dramatically placing a hand over his heart. 

Marinette rolled her eyes.

“I’ll have you know that I am very smart,” he continued.

“Somehow, I doubt that,” she said, rolling away from him to grab another pencil.

“You wound me, Princess,” he said with his over-the-top tone, but the image was ruined by a smile leaking into his features. 

She rolled back over to her work and tried to focus, but with him standing right there it was hard to do so. 

“C’mon, Princess!” he said enthusiastically, jumping around and finally landing somewhere behind her. “Let’s take a little break, then you can continue to study.”

Marinette spun around to face him, looking at his too-innocent smile critically. “You’ll leave me alone if I take a break?”

Chat nodded enthusiastically. 

“Yup, cat’s honor!” he said while throwing a hand up with the other over his heart.

Marinette stared at him unbelieveingly, then turned back around to her work.

“Nope, you’re gonna distract me for hours, and I need to learn this stuff. I don’t need some stray cat coming in here to disturb me.”

It was silent for a moment, and Marinette entertained the thought for a moment that he would actually leave, but then she felt a pair of arms snake around her shoulders and all her hopes were dashed. 

“You know you love me,” Chat said teasingly into her ear.

Marinette slumped slightly in realization that he was never going to leave.

“I wish I could hate you,” she mumbled.

“But you can’t because you _love_ me,” he said, nuzzling the side of her head.

Marinette turned the chair around to face him, breaking the circle he had made with his arms around her. She stood up and placed a kiss on his cheek, which made him smile wide in pure happiness. Marinette smiled back. 

“Unfortunately I do, silly kitty. But you still have to leave.”

“Oh, come on!”

~~~

_That was it. Silly banter, playful kisses, and flippant ‘I love you’s filled their nights, and they were content._

_But ‘content’ can only be satisfactory for so long._

~~~

“I swear, every word is true!”

Marinette tried to catch her breath in between her laughs, reaching a hand up to wipe the tears from her eyes. “There’s no way your friends are that oblivious.”

Chat shrugged, calming down from his laughter as well. “I can’t either, but it works out well for me.”

Marinette let out one last laugh before sighing, looking up into the sky. It was a beautiful night, so she had gone up to her balcony for some fresh air. It wasn’t long until a certain cat came to join her, as he sometimes did when he was particularly bored, so she spread a blanket onto the limited space she had after adjusting some of the furniture. Then they both laid down side-by-side, arms touching, falling into easy conversation as usual.

But now silence fell over the pair, but that was just as well. Words weren’t needed when you were truly comfortable with someone. 

They lay there, both consumed by their own thoughts until Chat shifted, leaning more into her arm. 

She turned her head to the side to ask if he was comfortable, but her words died in her throat when she saw that his face was just inches from her own, eyes staring at her intently. 

“Princess…” he said softy, not moving a muscle.

“Yeah?” she whispered, unable to tear her eyes away from his. She licked her lips to wet them, her mouth suddenly very dry. 

Chat’s eyes immediately shot down to her lips at her action. He raised his eyes back to hers after a moment that felt like it stretched into eternity. 

“May I kiss you?”

Marinette nodded, meeting him halfway. 

The kiss was slow, sensual, and everything that Marinette had ever dreamed it would be when she allowed herself to entertain those kinds of thoughts. Thoughts of more, _more, MORE-_

Chat was the first to pull back, and he shifted as he sat up. “I’m sorry, I just-“

He stopped moving once Marinette placed her hand on his arm. His eyes went to her hand then down to her face, expression full of fear and hope and something else that Marinette was terrified to name.

“Please, don’t leave,” she whispered as she sat up as well, running her hand up his arm to entangle her fingers in his hair. 

Chat searched her eyes for any hesitation on her part, and smiled widely when he found none. 

“As you wish.”

He kissed her again, leaning forward while slowly lowering her back down to the ground. He placed his arms on either side of her head so he wouldn’t crush her with his weight. 

Marinette gasped up at the stars as Chat bit down on her neck, running the inside of her thigh up his side while her hands fisted in his hair. 

Chat let out a low growl and bit down on her skin again, this time on her collarbone. 

“Oh Chat…” Marinette moaned, arching her back into him. She pulled on his hair to bring him back up to her lips, kissing him deeply.

“This-“ she paused to kiss him again “-this is crazy.”

Chat hummed, running the tips of his claws down her stomach and around her side, sliding his arm under her to bring her flush against him. He buried his face into her neck. 

“No one needs to know,” he said, his hot breath washing against her skin, his words punctuated by the nipping of his teeth.

Marinette shuddered, wrapping her arms around his neck and breathing into his ear with a sinister smile, “Purrfect.”

~~~

_They didn’t do it that night._

_Something was holding them back from going all the way. Or rather, they each had someone who had held their hearts for far longer, and it didn’t feel right._

_But that was okay. Because what they were doing wasn’t about romantic feelings, it was purely sexual in nature. Friends with benefits, is what they decided._

_They each opted to ignore the growing feelings within their chests. It was easier that way._

~~~

Marinette was watering the plants on her balcony when felt arms snake around her waist. She smiled, leaning into the embrace. 

“Hello Princess,” Chat whispered, kissing the back of her neck in between her pigtails.

Marinette set the watering can down before turning around to face him, running her hands up his chest then burying her fingers into his hair. 

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?” she asked, giving him a kiss. 

Chat kissed her back, rubbing circles onto her waist with his fingers with just the right amount of pressure. 

“Do what?” he said, pulling back slightly. 

She brought her lips down to his jaw, pressing them lightly against his skin so he could feel her lips move as she spoke. “You waited until I turned around so you could sneak up on me.”

Chat gripped her hips tighter as she nipped the skin under his ear. “Guilty as charged.”

Marinette hummed, pulling on his hair to bring his head down to her level. She stared into his eyes, and Chat shifted uncomfortably from her expression.

She smiled sweetly, her eyes telling a completely different story. 

“We need to figure out your punishment, then,” she said, scratching lightly at his scalp.

Chat shuddered at the sensation. “What did you have in mind, Princess?”

Marinette’s fingers left his hair, which Chat briefly mourned the loss of but was distracted by her wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself flush against him. 

“Kiss me,” she whispered in his ear.

“I don’t think that’s much of a punishment,” he said quietly, running his hands up and down her back.

Marinette pulled back, one eyebrow lifted in question. “Are you complaining?”

Chat immediately shook his head.  “Nope.”

Marinette smiled and leaned in so her breath washed over his lips. “Then do it.”

Chat was more than happy to oblige.

~~~

_They still hung out, of course. All that had changed was there was another activity they could do together._

~~~

_“Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?”_

Chat set the book he was reading aloud into his lap and looked at Marinette incredulously. “You really want me to read this to you?”

“Yup,” she said at her desk, hand stitching a design at the hem of a skirt. “Usually I have an audio book on while I work, but I’ve been meaning to read that book for a while and there’s no audio for it, so you reading it is perfect!”

“But it’s _dirty!”_ Chat whined. 

Marinette finally looked up at him, a sly smile on her face. She got up and slowly walked over to him, each step depilate and complimented by the swing of her hips. 

Chat couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“Oh, so you don’t like that type of thing?” she drawled, kneeling on either side of his waist so she was straddling him. 

Chat gulped. “No I do, I just prefer when I’m the one doing it.”

Marinette grinned dangerously, her fingers tugging at his wild blond hair behind his head and pulling him into a kiss. “Can the suit come off?” she breathed against his lips.

“I don’t know,” he barely got out, trailing his claws along her spine, causing her to shiver. “I’ve never tried.”

“No time like the present.”

~~~

_Chat had been visiting her for over a year at that point, and everything was going great in Marinette’s opinion._

_Of course they still talked, so it was inevitable that the conversation turned back to Adrien sometimes. But Chat’s reaction one night changed, and Marinette couldn’t help but point it out._

~~~

“Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Chat crossed his arms and huffed. “No I’m not,” he said indignantly.

“Yes, you are,” Marinette countered, shifting closer to him on her chaise with a dangerous smile. “You’re jealous that I talk about Adrien so much-“

Chat couldn’t take it anymore. He leaned over and kissed her deeply, hands on either side of her face. He pulled away after a few moments and took in her flushed cheeks and bewildered expression.

“Trust me Princess,” he breathed, “I’m not jealous of Adrien.”

~~~

_Then, because there always needs to be balance (and the universe hates her) the conversation had to be switched._

~~~

“Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”

Marinette felt her cheeks go pink so she turned away, hoping that the darkness could hide it. “No, of course not.”

“Yes you are,” Chat said smugly. “You don’t like the idea of me hanging out with another girl.”

Her head snapped up. “You never said it was a girl!”

Chat’s grin got even wider. “Oh, so that matters?”

“No!” Marinette shook her head violently, her blush deepening. “I mean, it shouldn’t matter who you hang out with, or who you like, or-“

Chat put a finger against her lips, causing her to stop and look up at him.

He smiled, moving his hand to cradle her cheek.

“You’ll always be my princess.”

~~~

_They were tipping dangerously toward the point of no return, where the ‘benefits’ part of their arrangement would get in the way of their friendship. Not all couples reached this point, but Marinette and Chat were ones who did. But they ignored all the signs, because they were content and satisfied and happy._

_Of course, their happiness couldn’t last forever. No matter how much they wanted it to._

~~~

Tears filled her azure eyes, and she tried to blink them away but instead they trailed down her cheeks. Marinette turned her face away from his observing eyes and tilted head, hands clenched at her sides. 

“I think I’m in love with you and I’m terrified.”

She heard Chat’s breath hitch in what she assumed was surprise, and then there was silence. It was the longest moment of her life, afraid of what he might say but terrified to look up, even though her muscles strained to do just that. 

He took a step toward her, closing the distance between them enough so she could feel his body heat slowly enveloping the space around them. She winced and turned away from him more, her eyes clenching shut while her shoulders tensed near her ears. A single gloved hand came to rest upon the cheek furthest away from him, gently turning her head, slowly, until she was looking up into his eyes. A breath whooshed out of her lungs once her distressed mind registered his caring, _loving,_ expression. His thumb brushed against her cheekbone, wiping away the dampness on her flushed skin. 

“What if I told you,” Chat said slowly, taking a breath before continuing, “that I think I’m in love with you too.”

Despite the implications of his response, Marinette still looked desperately up at him, needing bring up the other people who held an even firmer grip over their hearts. 

“But Adrien, and Ladybug-“

Chat captured her lips, stealing the words from her tongue with a shuddering gasp. Marinette’s eyes shut tight, tears being forced out to trail across her skin once again. Her arms flew up to wrap around his shoulders while his hugged her hips against his own, claws brushing against the bare skin of her back that was revealed when her shirt rode up from the raising of her arms.

He pulled away from her lips, pressing his forehead against her own

“Can we forget about them?” he rasped, his voice so down-trodden and quiet that Marinette could feel another sob rise in her throat. 

“Wha-“

“Please,” he pleaded desperately, tightening his arms around her. “Just for tonight.”

Marinette took in the image of the broken man in front of her, one who was so tired of having his love rejected, who wanted everything to be different, to spend at least a little time with the woman he could have loved if fate had dealt him a better, kinder hand. 

Marinette’s heart broke even more than it already was, and she nodded. 

Chat kissed her again, but this time Marinette wasn’t sure whether the wetness on her cheeks was from her tears or his. 

It didn’t matter. They were both equally broken, each valiantly trying to fill the void in their chests with another who didn’t quite fit.

But that was fine. Because just for one night, they could try. Just for one night, they could forget. 

And that was all that they needed.

~~~

_It had all started with an accident, and continued to grow because of accidents. They were never meant to come together in this way. Granted, it was never supposed to be easy, but they could have avoided a lot of confusion and heartbreak if Chat had never broken her flower pot, or if she never had invited him inside._

_But here they were, trying to make sense of their thoughts and hearts and feelings while seeking comfort in each other, like they had been for over a year, but this time they went all the way. Because that was what they needed._

_And of course, this would result in another accident, something that would change both of their lives, and make everything even more complicated._

_The universe can have a funny sense of humor sometimes._

**Author's Note:**

> and yes, i know the last scene is from my other fic, but it fit so well i had to use it


End file.
